MONDAY, MARCH 8, 1982
IMPORTANT DECISIONS ON NEW TOWNS EXPECTED
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SOME IMPORTANT DECISIONS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW TOWNS ARE LIKELY TO BE MADE BY THE GOVERNMENT WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR OR SO.
THESE INCLUDE THE BEST DISTRIBUTION OF THE TERRITORY'S PREDICTED 6.2 MILLION POPULATION AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, THE LOCATION OF THE REPLACEMENT AIRPORT, WHETHER TO EXTEND THE MTR TO JUNK BAY, AND WHETHER TO HAVE A RAIL LINK TO MA ON SHAN.
THIS WAS DISCLOSED TODAY BY THE DEPUTY REGIONAL SECRETARY FOR NEW TERRITORIES, DR RICHARD BUTLER, IN A SPEECH ON +CURRENT DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TOWNS+ TO THE BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE LUNCHEON OF THE HONG KONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
+THE POSSIBLE COMBINATIONS OF POPULATION DISTRIBUTIONS ARE NUMEROUS AND THE GOVERNMENT'S GUIDE-LINES IN CHOOSING THE BEST OPTIONS MUST, OF COURSE, BE ECONOMIC IN NATURE, HE SAID.
*
+THE GOVERNMENT IS LOOKING FOR THE 'BEST BUY' IT HAS TO DISCOVER WHAT QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ITS CITIZENS IT CAN ACHIEVE, AT WHAT PRICE, UNDER EACH OF THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE.
+'PRICE' HERE, IN PRACTICE, AMOUNTS TO THE COMPARATIVE COST OF THE LAND AND THE TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ALTERNATIVES WHICH WE FACE,
THE GOVERNMENT HAD NOT YET CALCULATED THE MOST ECONOMIC DISTRIBUTION OF THE NEW TOWNS POPULATIONS, DR BUTLER CONTINUED.
IT WAS STILL AT THE STAGE OF THE CONSULTANCY STUDIES WHICH INVESTIGATED POTENTIAL LOCATIONS AND POPULATIONS FOR ALL POSSIBLE NEW TOWNS.
WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR OR SO, THESE NUMEROUS STUDIES WOULD HAVE ALL TO BE BROUGHT TOGETHER AND A GOVERNMENT VIEW FORMULATED ON THE BEST POPULATION DISTRIBUTION.
HE POINTED OUT THERE WERE SIX EXISTING NEW TOWNS AT SHA TIN, TAI PO, FANLING/SHEK WU HUI, YUEN LONG, TUEN MUN AND TSUEN WAN, AND THERE WAS A PROSPECT OF NEW TOWNS AT JUNK BAY. MA ON SHAN/ THREE FATHOMS COVE, TIN SHUI WAT AND NORTH LANTAU!
DR BUTLER ALSO OUTLINED THE PRESENT THINKING ABOUT THE SCOPE FOR THE 10 NEW TOWNS:
SHA TIN - THE PRESENT POPULATION IS ABOUT 150 000. IT COULD HAVE A POPULATION OF 600 000, SERVED BY AN ELECTRIFIED KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY WITH POSSIBLE DIRECT ROAD LINKS WEST TO TSUEN WAN AND LAI CHI KOK.
TAI PO AND FANLING/SHEK WU HUI - THEIR PRESENT POPULATION IS 100 000 BETWEEN THEM. THEY COULD HAVE A TOTAL POPULATION OF 500 000 AND BE SERVED BY THE ELECTRIFIED KCR AND NEW HIGHWAYS (DUAL CARRIAGEWAYS, NORMALLY EACH OF THREE LANES).
YUEN LONG - THE PRESENT POPULATION IS 53 000. IT COULD HAVE A POPULATION OF POSSIBLY 300 000 AND BE LINKED TO TUEN MUN BY A LIGHT RAILWAY.
/TUEN MUN